Funding Successful. This project reached its goal before August 4, 2012.

Tackling child labour on Indian stone quarries through the construction of residential schools

Successful

This campaign successfully reached its funding goal and ended 5 years ago

179% Funded

$26,790
Pledged

$15,000
Goal

1
Backers

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Tackling Child Labour

The Issue:

Children living on stone quarries belong to one of the most disadvantaged groups in India. From the age of eight, children work up to fourteen hours a day digging, breaking and loading stones in toxic and hazardous environments.

They are under constant threat of accidents, injuries and chronic health disorders. They have little or no access to basic amenities like health care or education, and are extremely vulnerable to trafficking or sexual abuse. Disturbingly, the Indian government does not acknowledge the high incidence of child labour in mines and is not addressing this problem.

The Indian non-government organisation Santulan is working hard to address these issues and believes education is the way out of poverty and exploitation. In 1997 Santulan started an innovative, well-regarded and child-centred educational programme called “Pashan Shala”, meaning “Stone Quarry Schools”. Unfortunately, with the emergence of the Right to Education Act (RTE), these schools are no longer recognised by the Indian Government and in the long term these schools will be closed, even though most children have no other way to access basic education.

A Way Forward:

To continue the education of hard-to-reach children, the Indian Government has granted Santulan approval to develop residential schools. Residential schools will create a safe, positive environment for children to live, learn and grow.

They will not only provide both education and vocational training for the students, but also provide for their safety and basic needs by:

– Reducing the number of child labourers.
– Reducing the number of child marriages.
– Providing relief to parents struggling to provide for their children, particularly sick or single parents.
– Providing children with proper nutrition, medication and personal development opportunities.
– Helping children pursue vocational skills for alternative livelihoods to rock breaking.
– Breaking the ongoing cycle of poverty and exploitation in the stone quarry sector.

Santulan already has land and developed building plans by drawing on local support in India. The government will cover some of the operational costs, but will not provide funding for construction. Santulan is ready to start building, but depends on fundraising efforts to generate the necessary capital. Once the money is received, construction will take four months and the school will be operational within six months.

Our Target:

We are a group of Australians assisting Santulan with this challenge as we have experienced first-hand the selfless work that they are doing in pursuit of social justice for some of the most marginalised communities in Indian society. Our fundraising target is for $15,000, which is the minimum amount needed to cover basic furnishings such as study desks, chairs, beds and linen.

We would however like to raise at least $50,000 to cover the construction costs of one residential school for 50 children. Our funding timeframe is 90 days and during this time we ask you to reach out to all your networks to support this project!

Many hearty thanks for any contribution you can make to alleviate child poverty. For more information on Santulan, visit: www.santulan.org

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** Note – this successful campaign was ported over from iPledg 2.0. Whilst there were a large number of backers who assisted the campaign in reaching its target, their number and details are not shown here

pledge $50

$50 AND OVER: PROJECT UPDATES You will be included on an email list of regular project updates of the project.

pledge $100

Unlimited backers

$100 AND OVER: HAND-DRAWN PICTURE FROM ONE OF THE CHILDREN A hand-drawn picture created by one of the children who benefit from the residential school.

pledge $250

Unlimited backers

$250 AND OVER: PERSONALISED LETTER OF THANKS A hand-written letter by one of the children who are benefiting from the construction of the residential schools.

pledge $500

Unlimited backers

$500 AND OVER: SANTULAN CALENDAR 2013 calendar featuring quality photos of the people and places involved in Santulan’s work.

pledge $1,000

Unlimited backers

$1000 AND OVER: PROJECT VISIT Invitation to visit Santulan in Pune and be hosted by the Santulan directors Bastu and Pallavi Rege to visit the stone quarry communities and project site for the residential school as well as experience Santulan’s suite of programmes. (Does not include travel or accommodation costs)

pledge $1,500

Unlimited backers

$1500 AND OVER: PROJECT VISIT Invitation to visit Santulan in Pune and be hosted by the Santulan directors Bastu and Pallavi Rege to visit the stone quarry communities and project site for the residential school as well as experience Santulan’s suite of programmes. (Does not include travel or accommodation costs)

pledge $2,000

Unlimited backers

$2000 AND OVER: PROJECT VISIT Invitation to visit Santulan in Pune and be hosted by the Santulan directors Bastu and Pallavi Rege to visit the stone quarry communities and project site for the residential school as well as experience Santulan’s suite of programmes. (Does not include travel or accommodation costs)

Campaign Backers

Enter Pledge Amount

pledge $50

Unlimited backers

$50 AND OVER: PROJECT UPDATES You will be included on an email list of regular project updates of the project.

pledge $100

Unlimited backers

$100 AND OVER: HAND-DRAWN PICTURE FROM ONE OF THE CHILDREN A hand-drawn picture created by one of the children who benefit from the residential school.

pledge $250

Unlimited backers

$250 AND OVER: PERSONALISED LETTER OF THANKS A hand-written letter by one of the children who are benefiting from the construction of the residential schools.

pledge $500

Unlimited backers

$500 AND OVER: SANTULAN CALENDAR 2013 calendar featuring quality photos of the people and places involved in Santulan’s work.

pledge $1,000

Unlimited backers

$1000 AND OVER: PROJECT VISIT Invitation to visit Santulan in Pune and be hosted by the Santulan directors Bastu and Pallavi Rege to visit the stone quarry communities and project site for the residential school as well as experience Santulan’s suite of programmes. (Does not include travel or accommodation costs)

pledge $1,500

Unlimited backers

$1500 AND OVER: PROJECT VISIT Invitation to visit Santulan in Pune and be hosted by the Santulan directors Bastu and Pallavi Rege to visit the stone quarry communities and project site for the residential school as well as experience Santulan’s suite of programmes. (Does not include travel or accommodation costs)

pledge $2,000

Unlimited backers

$2000 AND OVER: PROJECT VISIT Invitation to visit Santulan in Pune and be hosted by the Santulan directors Bastu and Pallavi Rege to visit the stone quarry communities and project site for the residential school as well as experience Santulan’s suite of programmes. (Does not include travel or accommodation costs)